The Patent Dragon's Zone of Soul Retraction

Okay, that's that rather tiresome Government business dealt with, leaving the way clear for a good wind-down weekend - and, I imagine, a good deal of writing and other creative work. One of those is a new bedroom calendar, which I would have put together digitally, were it not for the complete failure to function of the computer hooked to our printer. I could piece something together on here, port it to the laptop, then hook the printer up to that...

Meanwhile - On Mission 101... 28 - Watch one "classic" film a month...

Oh look, there's a likely candidate - Brighton Rock, on next Friday! I could have had Sands Of Iwo Jima yesterday, but I did have to drop that ball. At least digital TV gives me plenty of movie-viewing options. If I succeed, in seeing this, I'll do a review.

At the current rate... I'm on course to complete 66 objectives, with a penalty of £85 to pay to charity for the uncompleted tasks (£1 for each missed task, with an additional £10 for every ten failed)... but it is early days yet.

I'll do a full first month report some time next week. Stay tuned!

Here's the latest version of my list, reorganised, numbered, and a second objective declared completed!

Aaah, Sunday...

Not feeling particularly inspired right now, but that's okay - today is for taking it easy, and any writing is a bonus. The current scene in TDD-605 "She Returns", Chapter 3 is something of an interlude, but it does serve a genuine long-term purpose, addressing an issue associated with "The Unified Response" that I hadn't considered before.

So, let's see - Ultima Online, Being Human, the film Children of God, then finally the last part of the play-off coverage on the radio before bed-time. Tomorrow's supposed to be "Blue Monday", the most depressing day of the year, but I don't foresee any problems going into the last day at my main venue - unless things freeze up overnight, and that doesn't look like it'll happen.

Needing to update the Mission 101 list - got a few things to add, and maybe a numbering system. I must be a good deal closer to my full list by now, and it won't hurt to have a few open slots for last-minute ideas. Next couple of weeks, things should really get going.

I'm taking the dive, and posting my 101 stuff at the 101 things in 1001 days Community at LiveJournal! It'll be interesting to see what (if any) feedback I get to my list, now updated to 70 items.

Meanwhile... I am suffering for my snow-snake building yesterday. My spine is grumbling, the backs of my thighs are shrieking - but I am putting up with it all. My muscles just aren't used to working so hard!

Unfortunately, my creation is already melting, but that may just mean a turn in the weather, which will, I hope, make life easier for Work Slot 2010.1. Fingers crossed...!

- make a kick-ass snowman...



Okay, it's not exactly how I envisioned it. A comedy Christmas snow-snake rather than a fearsome scaly predator, and it kicked my ass, in all honesty, but I count it as a success - even though the photo, all I could manage with my functioning digital cameras numbering 1, doesn't show its cute twig tongue. If I do a better one, this will count as TWO of my one-hour walks for this year - I certainly put in the requisite effort!

101 Things Update... Well, here we go...

- Complete at least 100 worthwhile walks (at least one hour outdoors) a year (1/100, 0/100, 0/75)

Yay, that's an official start to my 101 List. A cold start, but hey, it counts.

I'll be publishing a preliminary list at the weekend - the current total is 63 68, with new items coming almost every day, and every time I look at the list I presently have. Purchase of materials and equipment for the list's various creative elements hasn't gotten very far so far, on account of the weather, which is already affecting comic order deliveries, and could screw up other deliveries. By the time the weather clears, I expect that all the vendors for the gear I want/need will have applied the VAT "re-hike", and my funds won't go as far as I'd hoped. Bleh.

Development News... One screen typed up may not seem like much, but it is a proper start to TDD-605 "She Returns". So far, I'm working on the "light" side of the story, with the "dark" side still in Stage One Development (meaning that the conclusion is the only thing that's been decided so far).

The plan is still to use Work Slot 2010.1 for Season Six structuring and preliminary development, but if that runs aground, at least I have something else to work on. Hopefully, I'll be posting at least one story a month from now on, and a good deal more chapters a year than recently (96 in 2008, and last year only 84). In the "good old days", chapters were shorter - sometimes only a couple of sentences - but that's not exactly a proper excuse...

Needing a proper bedside lamp, especially when it's as cold as it is at night (-15C in the glens).

Sports News... The Redskins sign Mike Shanahan as new head coach. Not Cowher, but still a proven winner, with the experience this team needs to get a meaningful season in The Division Of Death.

Yup, it's still freezing outside, but I braved the cold to do some banking, and hunt around for notebooks and gadgets. Not much luck, unfortunately - and sadly the excursion doesn't count as one of my 100 walks a year for my "Mission 101" List - but venturing outdoors was more than just "a breath of fresh air". I'd be happy to do eligible walks in the cold, as long as the pavements aren't as treacherous as this time last year - if they are during this year's Work Slot 1, I'm taking the bus!

Talking of the "101" List... I'm close to having 50 items, at which time I can assemble and publish a first draft. I won't number the objectives until I have all 101, as I'm setting them out in categories (the biggest so far has the working title "My Stuff"), but it'll be good to at least have a preliminary list "in the wild". Think it's time to type up what I have, and work from there.

Development News... I could be starting on TDD-605 "She Returns" very soon, as one half of the story will pretty much write itself. The start and end of the sequence in question are already decided, and this is an independent thread from the core of the story - and you, dear reader, should already have some idea where that is going...

Update! He's gone! Redskins head coach Jim Zorn has been fired. Okay, so what's Bill Cowher doing right now...?

Headline News... Yes! Sir Patrick Stewart! And about time too! You can say the same about Francis Rossi (OBE) and Rick Parfitt (OBE) of Status Quo, as well! Shame about Joanna Lumley, who should have been recognised for her work fighting for the rights of Gurkha soldiers - and I'm sure there are many working for charity, or other noble causes that will be viewed as criminal oversights by some, but come on, do we really have to go through the "outrage" EVERY year? There are a whole bunch of scientists and academics on the list, who're hardly "celebrities" - and let's be totally honest; there are people doing "charity work" who should be most thankful they still have jobs...

Meanwhile... Okay, I'm going for it - 101 Things In 1001 Days. I currently have a rough list of 33, and I'll try to have a finalised first 50 list posted in the next week or so, by which time I will have started several of my objectives. Stay tuned for the latest news!

Oh, and Happy New Year, dear reader. Have a good one, get home safe and well, don't be an idiot...